Committee Review

Process for Committee Review

According to federal requirements, the animal use protocol (AUP) is distributed to the committee members for their consideration. The committee is given a designated time period (typically 10 days) to consider the protocol. The designated reviewer will consider all of the comments or concerns raised by the committee members. If further clarification is required, the designated reviewer will prepare a pending approval memo to the investigator requesting a response and revision to the protocol. The investigator has 30 days to respond with a revised protocol. If the revised protocol satisfactorily addresses the concerns iterated in the pending approval memo, the chair has the authority to approve the protocol.

At any time during the review period, a committee member may call for full committee review (FCR) of the AUP. This usually occurs when there are serious concerns. The designated reviewer will assign a primary and secondary reviewer whose responsibility is to conduct a thorough review of the protocol, grant and all committee comments.

The investigator may be contacted and interviewed by at least one of the reviewers. The protocol will be brought before the next fully convened meeting of the IACUC for discussion and consideration. There is no requirement for the investigator to attend the meeting, but attendance is encouraged. If further clarification is deemed necessary by the committee, a pending approval memo will be generated and forwarded to the investigator, requesting revisions to be made and resubmitted within 30 days of receipt of the memo.